35. Adolescence

This is the stage when we search for our identity, for understanding of who we are, of our meaning and place in the world. The particular understanding of ourselves we needed was understanding of our non-ideal human-condition-afflicted corrupted natures. In fact since 2 million years ago when consciousness emerged the search for understanding of the human condition has been the preoccupation of the whole human race. This means all humans born during this 2 million years have had to grow up without society being able to give them understanding of the human condition, which means all humans during this time have had to grow up insecure. When a human during this time reaches their adolescent years and tries to find their identity, in particular understand their particular experience of the human condition, they can’t find that understanding which means they have to grow up with their adolescent stage unfulfilled, basically stranded in an arrested state of adolescence for the rest of their life. The actress Mae West summed up the situation in the case of men’s position when she said, ‘if you want to understand men just remember they are still little boys searching for approval’. Unable to understand the corrupted state of our human condition the only alternative to suicidal depression has been to live in denial of the whole issue. The result of this psychological estrangement from our true situation and true selves has been the horrifically deadening state of alienation that has characterised human life for all of the 2 million years humanity has been in adolescence.

Page 148 of
PDF Version

Drawing by Jeremy Griffith © Fedmex Pty Ltd 1996

Detail of Francis Bacon’s deadly accurate painting of the psychologically-imprisoned-arms-pinned-behind-the-back-twisted-smudged-face-alienated human condition.